Originally Posted by ChienAboyeur
Trouble is that defining a genre by elements that can be shared by so many other genres only ends in one thing: the one happening currently, that is most games are RPGs, soft core RPGs.

The market certainly encourages genre-benders these days, so it should come as no surprise that most games would incorporate elements from numerous genres. The debate then turns to which ones are dominant.

Originally Posted by ChienAboyeur
The only thing that characterizes unambiguously a RPG is the focus on role playing.
What is used to achieve role playing is secondary.
And the quality of a RPG is measured by the quality of the role playing it allows.

But since current software and hardware technology cannot truly allow a player to choose any role and do exclusively things that are appropriate to that role, your definition is pretty well pointless. Full points for ivory tower accuracy, and yet completely devoid of real world application.

Originally Posted by ChienAboyeur
Since it has wheels, doors and engines, it must be a car as wheels, doors and engines are defining elements of a car.

And the defining elements of a B-52 are wings, props, and payload. None of the elements are unique nor exclusive, and yet, if I pulled the curtain off an unknown vehicle I bet you could tell me whether it was more like a car or a bomber based on those defining elements you're so scornful of.

— Sorry. No pearls of wisdom in this oyster.
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